Equilibrium
by madeofporcelain
Summary: After a heated encounter in Garcia's office, both Penelope Garcia and Derek Morgan have to find a way to come to terms with their feelings for each other. M/G.
1. Chapter 1

_Disclaimer: I do not own Criminal Minds and am in no way affiliated with the show or CBS. I do not profit from the story and all creative rights belong to their original creators._

_This is wrong. Oh, no, no, no, this is just completely, utterly, totally wrong._ Penelope Garcia thought to herself. But she couldn't stop the little thrills of pleasure coursing through her veins as she continued to kiss Derek Morgan, right smack in the middle of her office.

His hands encircled her waist, fingers playing with the hem of her shirt, the silk fabric lightly rising and falling against her back. This only raised her awareness of his body, tight against hers, and she almost gasped out. Damn, he was a wonderful kisser.

She contemplated releasing herself and sending him away, back to whatever case he was working on, back to whatever sent him here in the first place. She decided against it. _Might as well enjoy this while it lasts. _She was aware of his tongue poking her lips, asking for entrance, and smiled against his mouth.

As their bodies crushed together, Morgan felt his back press against a wall and Garcia press her lips against his even harder. He didn't know what caused this sudden urgency, but he certainly wasn't complaining.

Morgan had dreamt about kissing those ruby red lips of hers for a while. Every single time she smiled at him, that flash of white against red, he couldn't help but smile back.

And it wasn't just that, it was everything she did. When she teased him over the phone, when she giggled or poked fun at him, when she said something embarrassing and her face went all fiery red, he loved it.

He loved it all.

They stumbled against the wall, Morgan flipping around so it was her back to it now, and continued kissing. Garcia had no idea how she could enjoy something so much.

Something vibrated in Morgan's pocket, and he ignored it until the insistent ringing annoyed him, and Garcia gasped, "Hot stuff, I'm praying that's your phone."

Irritated, he reached into his pocket, took a second to collect his breath, and flipped it open. "Yeah, Morgan."

The angered voice of Hotch filled his ear. "Morgan, where are you? Reid's been looking everywhere, and we're just about to start the briefing."

Morgan stole a glance at Garcia, who was hastily adjusting her shirt and fixing her glasses. She looked back at him, wide-eyed, and gave him a tiny smile. "Yeah, um, I was just in Garcia's office, looking through the Johnson case. I'll be right there."

Hotch hung up, and Derek flipped his phone shut. Garcia had since moved to the computer, and was busy pressing buttons, trying to appear that she was very busy, and failing miserably. He smiled at her. "So, uh…"

She cut him off. "You'd better get to that briefing, hun. Hotch is not one to mess with."

Morgan stayed silent for a second, before running a hand over his head, searching for something to say. "…Yeah, you're right."

She kept her eyes glued to the screen, willing herself not to cry, because she already knew what look would be on Morgan's face. _I can't believe I thought that Morgan and I had a chance. He seems so pissed. Serves me right, letting myself go like that. He just probably thinks of me as just another girl._

Derek eyed her carefully. Garcia seemed composed, collected to him, not the woman who he had just made out with. _Maybe she regrets it already. _He sighed, and turned to leave. "I'll see you later, baby girl. Um, maybe we could talk…"

He saw the shake of her head, up and down, and that was his cue to leave. Morgan shut the door behind him, and sighed. He was an idiot.

**A/N: There may be some people who recognize this story. That's because I posted this up a couple years ago and took it down because life was getting in the way and I felt that it shouldn't be up if I couldn't give it my all. Now I've realized that I should have better time management, so it's back up! This will be a revamped version, with only the first couple chapters the same, so if you did read it, you're in for a treat. Remember, read, review, and enjoy!**


	2. Chapter 2

_Disclaimer: I do not own Criminal Minds and am in no way affiliated with the show or CBS. I do not profit from the story and all creative rights belong to their original creators._

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It was a tradition, one that Garcia had come to love over the time that she had been part of the FBI. It was almost as if a weight was lifted off her shoulders every time she heard the familiar ping of the elevator doors, the quiet murmurs of voices floating over the cubicles, closer and closer, until the members of the team had reached their own desks. Another hard day's, or couple of days, work over with.

The part she enjoyed the most of that ritual was when she heard his voice, smooth like velvet, never faltering, quietly excuse himself from whichever conversation he was in and knock on her door, a quiet tap, sometimes two, until he stepped in the room and greeted her.

Not this time though. She oh-so-desperately wanted to be at home, curled up under a duvet on her couch, with some hot chocolate and endless old movies, but the Forensics department had needed her to run some names, and here she was. Stuck.

Garcia contemplated the many different ways she could hide from Morgan. _I could blatantly ignore him. Flat out, and simple. Or maybe act like it never happened. Oh, who am I kidding, I'll never stop blushing like the idiot I am. Maybe I-_

There it was. The ring of an elevator bell. _Oh, crap, crap crap!_ Maybe she was mistaken, Maybe it was just the cleaners coming in a little earlier than- Nope, that was Reid's voice, rambling about some 1920's scientist. _Oh, crap._

The sound of Prentiss' bag hitting the floor as she laughed at something Reid said. The unmistakable tone of JJ's whisper as she exchanged a few words with Hotch. Garcia could just imagine her rolling her eyes at Reid, and him smiling back at her and Hotch. Rossi's chuckle as he called something out to Prentiss and stepped into his office. Garcia anticipated the next sound as it grew closer and closer, the heavy footsteps stopping at the door so the person could knock. One, two taps, then the creak of the door.

"Hey, baby girl."

Garcia made sure that she took a second to paste on a smile, any smile, before she turned to face him. God, she hoped it didn't look as fake as it felt.

And there he was. The fine contours of his face, the sharp jaw line, the warm chocolate skin, and his eyes, oh, his beautiful eyes. They got her every time.

Then came the smile, soft, serene, as if he was really and truly glad she was sitting in her office in the middle of the night. This was her favorite part, the sudden flash of happiness that molded his features into something more perfect than he already was, if possible. It was like reading from a script. Garcia couldn't help but smile back, for real this time, as he took a seat next to her and leaned back.

She suddenly remembered she was supposed to be hating him at the moment, and he expression wavered. This was going to be harder than she had hoped. He looked at her for a little while, and she stared back, practically hypnotized, and she hated him all the more for it. She hated the power he had over her. He could have any woman he wanted, and yet he chose to fool around with her for a little while before going away, leaving her on the ground in a crumpled heap.

Even if he didn't consider her anything other than a plaything, she at least deserved an answer.

"Why?" she asked quietly.

Morgan's eyes narrowed a little bit, trying to read into her question before he sighed. He didn't have the right to ask her for anything more than she was willing to give. "I'm sorry, baby girl. I know, it was a mistake."

_A mistake._ Everything that happened, everything that he meant to her had led up to that moment and all he could say was it was a _mistake_?

"Get out." she spat.

The words slapped him in the face, so sudden, so unexpected, that he almost gasped out. She spoke them with such a fierce desire that he wouldn't be surprised if she stood up and threw him out of the cramped office right then and there. He grasped for something, anything, to say that would make her listen to him and let him stay, and he managed to choke something out.

"Why?"

Garcia almost laughed. Why, he asked? It was because he had used her, and then thrown her away. It was because she pined after him, day after day, carefully keeping her distance, and he barely acknowledged it. It was because she loved him, goddamnit, and he didn't care.

She wanted to scream this out loud, say it with such a passion that he felt her pain as well, he could feel it in his gut, but she only succeeded in letting a tear escape from a corner of her right eye, and she wiped it away. "Derek, I was there for you when you needed me. I listened to you when no one else would. I laughed with you, joked with you. I _cried_ for you when you were upset. I was your goddamn best friend, and did you ever stop and wonder why? Why I let you give so much of yourself to me without question? It was because-" she choked out, the tears tightening her throat, "because I loved you. I _love_ you! And you never, ever realized that."

Oh, god, it hurt so much to say it out loud. The quietness surrounding her final words struck both of them, and they sat there, each one having no idea what to do next. Morgan yearned to reach out and hold her in his arms, whisper in her ear, tell her everything was okay, but how could he, when he was the one who caused her all this pain? He could already tell that if he did that, she might crumble, like sand falling between his fingers, too late to catch.

A soft knock on the door shook the both out of their reverie, a lifeline back to reality. JJ's blond head poked in. "Hey, Gar- Oh my god, what's wrong?"

Garcia had been mistaken. She thought she could hold it all in, tell Morgan to leave, and to please avoid her as much as he possibly could, but she was wrong. Releasing another silent sob, she moved past the disbelieving JJ and out the door.

Morgan hadn't even been aware that he was gripping the armrests of the metal chair, but a sudden loss of feeling in his fingertips caused him to look down and release his hands.

Millions of questions were consuming his thoughts, but one shot to the top:

_What the hell am I going to do?_

**A/N: Hey, I just want to thank you guys for reading and reviewing the story. It means a lot when someone takes the time to go over what's been written and comment on how they liked it. So, thanks! I wanted to update as soon as possible, so here it is, but I'm not sure how soon I'll get the next one up, hopefully in the next couple days. Remember, read, review, and enjoy!**_  
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	3. Chapter 3

_Disclaimer: I do not own Criminal Minds and am in no way affiliated with the show or CBS. I do not profit from the story and all creative rights belong to their original creators._

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Garcia opened the door to her apartment and stepped in, the multicoloured array of familiar objects immediately soothing her worn nerves. She quietly navigated through the knick-knacks that were the souvenirs of her life and plopped down on the couch, discarding her bag and keys on the coffee table. A soft yellow blanket was draped over the side of the couch and she grabbed it, sliding the warm, furry fabric over her legs.

The words she had spoken to Morgan echoed through her head as she laid there, a constant reminder that their friendship –or whatever they had had– was over. Absolutely nothing remained. Zilch, nada. This surprised her more than it should have.

Garcia wondered how this arrangement would work out. Would he try and revive their friendship, or completely ignore her? The possibilities whirled around in her head. Of course, Morgan saying he loved her as well was out of the question. She was surprised that he had even kissed her in the first place. Yes, Morgan could never, in a million years, love someone like her. It was out of the question. Of that, she was certain.

She sat up and nestled against the curve of the seat, staring at the blank television screen. 'Why did I ever tell him I loved him?' she sighed, biting her lip in annoyance. Her previous breakdown in the office yesterday had frustrated her to no end, and today she had done all she could to avoid him. Penelope Garcia was not one to cry, and her previous loss of demeanour bothered her. _Damn him._

She sat there for a while, pondering each and every alternative to avoiding work, but stay clear of Morgan. She felt as if she had reached it, a point of equilibrium and was hanging onto the edge, gripping, slipping, but at the same time, thinking _what if, what if…_

A knock at the door interrupted her tumultuous train of thought, and she groaned, heaving herself of the comfortable couch and padding to the door. She glanced through the peephole and clenched her teeth. Today was _so_ not the day for this. Derek Morgan was standing on the other side of the hall, parallel to her, waiting for the door to swing open.

Garcia quickly ran through the possibilities. She could a) ignore him and stay in her bedroom until he left; b) allow him to come in (which, to her, was _not_ an option), or c) open the door, tell him she never wanted to see him again, and slam the door in his face (_yes, borderline immature_).

He interrupted her inner dilemma by calling out. "Garcia, I know you're in there. Open the door for me, mama."

His nickname for her infuriated her even more. She leaned against the door and bit her lip again, smearing the red gloss.

"Garcia, I will stand here all night if I have to. You're gonna have to come out sometime. It's just a matter of me starving or not." She could hear the nervous amusement in his voice, and through the peephole, she saw him grimace outwardly at the thought. She berated herself at still thinking he was adorable after everything that happened and, opening the door, stared at him. "What are you doing here?"

Slowly, each step carefully placed, he made his way toward her, and she moved away, stalking back towards the couch. Morgan followed and stood over her, unsure whether to perch on the edge of the seat or continue to stand. Sighing yet again, she moved over so he had a place to sit. She might be pissed as hell, but she could never say no to Derek.

Morgan gave her a small smile and sat down next to her, immediately reaching for her hand. "Sweetness-"

Garcia drew her hand away slowly, an icy calm skirting over her features. Despite the voices in her head telling her to _jump him already!_ she was still upset. Allowing him the right to touch her wouldn't come across very well. "If we're going to do this, refrain from touching, please."

The words hit Morgan. Usually, the words would have been funny, had they been directed at anyone else. "You know I never wanted to hurt you, mama."

She glanced away. "I don't think it's anyone's intention to go and hurt someone willingly, for the most part. And yet, here we are." She knew her words were biting, but she couldn't help herself.

Morgan sighed and leaned back against the seat, running a hand over his head, trying another tactic. "When you left, I-I didn't know what to do. JJ was there, and… we talked."

A pair of inquiring eyes led him on, and he continued. "She said— she said that you've loved me for a while now."

Garcia frowned, her thoughts travelling a mile a minute. How could JJ know that? And, the more important question: was it _that_ obvious? "Derek, I don't know what you want me to say."

Morgan leaned forward and cupped her face in his large hands, their faces only inches, _centimetres_, apart. Garcia's breath caught in her throat, and she completely forgot the no touching rule. Her fingers reached up and trailed his collarbone, the closeness they once had restored. Him, _this_, is what she wanted. What she yearned for.

Morgan desperately wanted to kiss her lips, her neck, her everywhere, He wanted to hold her, touch her, tell her everything was going to be okay. The three words he wanted to say so badly were stuck in his throat, not daring to come out, no matter how hard he tried.

He whispered to her, "I don't want you to say anything, just listen." Her eyes rose up from his chin to his eyes, and he continued. "Everything about you makes me feel peaceful. I know that doesn't sound like much, but… everyday we go after people who want nothing more than personal satisfaction, and they get that through murder and rape and at the end of the day, when I hear your voice on the other end of the line… you bring me peace, Penelope." He traced a finger across her jawline, his jaw tightening. Garcia had never seen so much emotion out of him in all the time she'd known him and she knew this was important. "And that means more to me than you'll ever know."

Garcia looked at him, eyes searching his face. He wasn't looking at her now, instead his eyes were downcast, looking down at their hands that had become clasped together. She had never felt so close to him in all the time she'd known him. Slowly, she drew her hands away and placed one under his chin, slowly raising his head so that he was looking at her. She gave him a tiny smile. "I'm glad I can do that for you, babe. And I'm sorry I was so emotional yesterday and dramatic. I know this is tough on you."

Morgan looked at her while she spoke, eyes never leaving her face. "It's just that sometimes it's hard for me to know what I am to you, you know? And moments like…" she blushed, letting her hair fall over her face as she looked down. "Moments like the one in my office don't really clarify it all that much."

A mischievous sparkle lit up in Morgan's eyes, all serious talk now aside. "I don't know, I think that they're pretty self-explanatory. Care for an example?"

Garcia barely had time to register what was happening before his lips were upon her, and she almost felt were heart stop.

It was soft at first, loving, a hint of things to come. Morgan playfully bit her bottom lip and leaned back, until Garcia was nestled comfortably on top of him, his hands tracing invisible patterns on the small of her back, her arms flung around his neck.

This was different from their first kiss. The intensity, the hurried groping, was gone and the slow and gentle caressing of the other was, quiet simply, _perfect._

Derek pressed a little harder against her lips, his firm body moulding with hers. Penelope couldn't help but let out a little gasp, but just as quickly, Morgan drew back, his hands sliding off her body in concern. "Baby girl, did I hurt you?"

Garcia blinked, confused. Hurt her? "On, no, never. It's just… that was… _wow._" she breathed, grinning.

He chuckled, smoothing a tendril of blond hair back behind her ear. "Yeah. Who knew you could kiss like that, sweetness?"

She winked at him playfully. "Well, I might just have a few more tricks up my sleeve, if you're—" Her words were cut off by his lips upon hers once again, and all train of thought was lost as she slid closer to him, hands framing his face.

The only things on her mind were his hands, his lips, and the words _wow, I could get used to this._

**A/N: Sorry for the delay in updating, but it seems that the second I decide to focus on more than one thing at a time, everyone suddenly scrambles for my attention. If only I was so special **_**all**_** of the time… Anyways, for the most part, the lead-in angst is over! (Note how I said **_**lead-in…**_**) We're just about to get to the good stuff, the romance (yes, with insecurities and worry mixed in, don't worry)! Thanks for the support, and remember, read, review and enjoy!**


	4. Chapter 4

_Disclaimer: I do not own Criminal Minds and am in no way affiliated with the show or CBS. I do not profit from the story and all creative rights belong to their original creators.

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"JJ, for the last time, will you please leave me alone?" Garcia playfully pushed her friend away, discreetly stifling a laugh at the hurt expression on JJ's pouting face. The two women had been in the former's office for the past twenty minutes, playing a continuous game of verbal volleyball.

JJ crossed her arms defiantly. "No, I'm not leaving until you tell me what happened between you and Morgan last night." She gave a firm nod to support her point, oblivious to the childish appearance she was emanating.

Garcia rolled her eyes and leaned back in her chair, crossing her legs. "I told you, nothing happened." Even though it was a lie, and the only thing she wanted to do right now was blissfully recall the events of the previous night to JJ, she knew it would distract the both of them from work that so desperately needed to be finished. It seemed to Garcia, though, the opposite was doing exactly that as well.

JJ cocked an eyebrow, doubting her word. "Oh, yeah? Then why, at exactly 8:17 this morning, Derek Morgan walked into the lobby whistling. _Whistling_, Garcia! Might I remind you that Morgan is not a whistling type of person. He never whistles. Ever. Period. All the years I've known him, not once have I ever heard him whistle." JJ ignored the cocked eyebrow and quiet laughter coming from her friend, and continued on. "Then, at precisely 8:21, we got on the elevator together and he started to hum."

Garcia's features were etched with mirth at the bizarre conversation she was having. "Let me guess, Derek is not a humming type of person, he never hums, in all the years you've known him, he's never hummed?"

JJ glared at Garcia, but by this time, the latter had turned back to her monitors, fingers poised over the keyboard. "Look, I know something happened between you two. For the past two days, both of you have been moping around and ignoring the other, and then all of a sudden one is practically bursting into song and the other is secluded in their office, grinning like she's just won the lottery?"

Garcia gave her a skeptical look. "Don't you think you're blowing things a little out of proportion?"

"No."

This drew a laugh from her, and she whirled to face the monitors once more, "JJ, you know you'll never let me hear the end of it if I tell you right now, and chronicling the every action of Derek Morgan isn't going to help. Besides, Hotch is going to come looking for you any second now. I don't want him breathing down out necks." She swatted JJ's backside in an effort to get her out of the room. "I promise I'll tell you as soon as we're out of here, with big cups of chamomile tea in our hands and comfy socks adorning our feet, okay? Now, vamos!"

JJ held up her hands in mock surrender. "Going, going, gone."

Garcia shook her head, a hint of a smile still carved onto her face. Her thoughts wandered over to the events of last night, and her grin grew. Morgan and she had stayed up the whole night and a better part of the morning, talking, kissing, and laughing, until the point where Derek had to go, leaving her with a smile, many kisses, and promises of seeing her later that day.

A knock at the door startled her, and she spun around in her chair to face the door. At this rate, she was never going to get any work done. "JJ, if that's you, so help me God, I will-"

Derek Morgan entered the tiny office and silently shut the door behind him, his eyes dancing. "Catch you at a bad time?"

Garcia shook her head and blushed. Ever since they had first kissed, she had found that she couldn't even think about him without her face going red. To avoid further embarrassment, she turned away. "No. But the whistling didn't help much."

"What?"

Looking at Morgan over her shoulder, she grinned at him. "Oh, nothing, sweetcheeks. People have just been increasingly annoying today. In a good way though."

He walked closer, his warm, soft hands gently beginning to knead her shoulders. Emitting a soft sigh, she closed her eyes and leaned back in her chair, listening to his silky smooth voice. "Yeah, I noticed JJ getting kicked out of your office. Nothing to do with me, I hope."

She shrugged, a smile lighting up her face when he dropped his hands and angled her seat around so that he could look at her. "Trust me, handsome, no more you than me."

Morgan smiled, and pulled her up, crushing her against his hard body. "That's good to know." he whispered into her ear, and tilted her face so that her lips could meet his.

That was how Hotch found them, Derek with one hand on the small of her back, the other in Penelope's hair, while she stood on her tiptoes, her hands cupping his face. Unsure of whether to scold them or completely disregard the situation, he gave a little cough to alert them of his presence, and the two sprung apart, guilty looks adorning their expressions.

"Garcia, where are those files from the Mayer case I need?"

Garcia's face was a fiery red, and her words stumbled and tripped out of her mouth as she tried to compose herself. "The- the CIRG just filed their report, and I'm updating the folder right now. I'll send it to you right away, sir."

He gave a short nod and a gruff smile. "Okay, send them to me when they're ready."

She nodded. "Right away."

Hotch gave them both one last questioning look and left, shutting the door behind him. Morgan blew out a breath of relief and turned towards Garcia, sharing a silent laugh. "Is it just me, or does he have horrible timing, sweetness?"

"Horrible timing sounds about right." She grinned at him and rushed over to her screens, quickly and efficiently sending over the document Hotch had needed. She hit the enter key and collapsed into her seat. "There. Done."

Morgan pulled her back up yet again. "And now we can continue where we left off." Just as he was about to kiss her, she pulled away.

"Nu-uh, handsome. I'm not taking the chance of Hotch catching us yet again." She patted his cheek playfully and turned back to work.

Morgan stared at her back for a second, his want for her slowly getting stronger every passing second. He rubbed her back, a mischievous look in his eyes. "Okay, so we'll find a different location, away from here."

As much as she wanted to, she shook her head. "How about tonight? I'll meet you somewhere, anywhere."

"Out first official date?"

"You could say that."

She smiled at him and gave him a quick kiss. "I'll see you at eight."

He pulled her towards him and deepened the kiss, pouring every bit of his desire for her into it. When he finally pulled away, she felt a bit disoriented. He grinned. "Eight, then."

**A/N: Mostly a filler chapter to get them going, but what do you guys think? It's alright in my opinion, as JJ and Rossi are the two hardest characters for me to write and JJ came off more like Garcia than I'd hoped. I actually cut two scenes from the chapters because they seemed a bit of the same to the one with JJ. But oh well, I promise the next chapter will be lengthy and full of MG goodness. Remember, read, review and enjoy!**


	5. Chapter 5

_Disclaimer: I do not own Criminal Minds and am in no way affiliated with the show or CBS. I do not profit from the story and all creative rights belong to their original creators._

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Emily Prentiss narrowly dodged the blur of pink and white flying past her head, struggling to balance the tray of coffee in one hand and her keys in the other. Crisis averted, she narrowed her eyes at the offending object, a cashmere sweater, and slowly backed away from it, focusing her interest at the flurry of clothes flying out from Penelope Garcia's room. "What the…" she wondered aloud, and set the coffee tray on the kitchen counter, making her ways towards the room. "Garcia? What are you doing?"

Pausing at the entrance only to avoid being hit by a 80's go-go boot, she stared in disbelief at Garcia's behind, sticking out of her closet, as she dug through her clothes. "Penelope? Have you gone insane?"

Garcia froze for a second, then scrambled out of the closet and smoothed her dress down, giving a nervous chuckle. "Em− Emily! How'd you get in here?" Her eyes danced uneasily around the mess of clothes littering the bed and floor of her room.

Giving her a weird look, Emily raised the keys JJ and she had insisted upon after Garcia had been shot. Garcia barely acknowledged the gesture and scurried around the room, picking up various tops, skirts and dresses. "What are you doing here?" she asked as she moved.

"I was around and decided to drop by. Where are you going?" she added, just noticing the small handbag Garcia only used when she was going out on a date.

Garcia picked up the last article of clothing and dumped it all on the bed with a sigh. "Why must you profilers be so curious?" she wondered aloud, as Prentiss eyed the pile warily. "Just hitting the town with a friend, hon. Nothing else."

Emily raised an eyebrow and grinned. "Judging by the chaos, I'm assuming a hot, male friend?"

Although she loved her, Penelope fought the urge to throw Emily out the door headfirst and continue her crusade for the perfect outfit, smiling instead. "You could say that."

Emily gave her a thousand watt grin and gestured towards the seemingly endless mound of clothes. "I could help you get ready, if you want."

Garcia made sure to keep the look of utter horror off her face. Help her get ready and risk the chance of running into Morgan? No way. "Thanks, but no thanks, Em. I'll be fine." She began to usher the brunette through the doorway of her room to the front door, chirping happily. "Thanks for stopping by! I'll see you later, love."

Emily protested weakly, her chances of having a quiet girl's night growing smaller and smaller by the second. "But I thought we could hang out for a bit, watch a movie or something?" Penelope smiled and shook her head, and in a last ditch effort, Emily reached out and grabbed the coffee tray, holding out a cup. "Caffeine?"

Garcia's eyes widened happily and she grabbed it, taking a big gulp. "Thanks, babe! I really needed this!" She pushed Emily out into the hallway and gave her a quick hug. "Bye!"

"But−"

A slam, and then silence. Prentiss wondered if she should knock on the door again and insist she stay to help with her date, but shrugged instead. She figured she should give Garcia some space tonight, and press her for all the juicy details tomorrow.

Garcia listened on the other side of the door for the sound of Emily's receding footsteps, and sighed in relief when she heard them. She felt bad for leaving her two best girlfriends out of the loop about her and Morgan, but it was for the best. It was the only thing to do until they figured out what was going on between the two of them.

The thought about Morgan triggered her panic again about what to wear, and she rushed around the living room, hurriedly collecting clothes that had flown out of her doorless room and into the adjoining one. Giving the room one last sweep to see if she had missed anything, she scurried back into her own, staring at the intimidating heap.

An hour later, after showering, straightening her hair, and applying makeup, Penelope had narrowed it down to three outfits. In the midst of hastily shoving the rejects back into her closet and wondering where she had bought all of this stuff in the first place, she had chosen a red Chinese silk dress with gold beading (if they were going anywhere fancy), a simple blue cardigan and skirt set (casual, yet formal), and a plain white t-shirt and jeans (paired with the right accessories, it would look fantastic).

A knock at the door interrupted her in the middle of trying on the t-shirt and jeans, and she looked up in panic. He couldn't be here already. Frantically, she eyed the clothes on her bed one more time before rushing to get the door.

When the door was open, Garcia came face to face with the man who had driven her crazy this afternoon. Derek Morgan smiled down at her, all six feet of him, dressed in a black t-shirt and jeans. "Hey, sexy mama."

The need to touch him overcame her, and she stood up on her tiptoes to place a quick kiss on his lips, mirth dancing in her eyes when she saw the carefully hidden desire etched onto his features. "Hey, gorgeous."

Morgan gestured down the hallway. "You ready to go?"

She shook her head, glancing back into her apartment, feeling naked without a single necklace, bracelet, or ring. "I'm not completely dressed yet, hot stuff. If you'll give me a sec…"

He passed an appreciative eye over her body. "You look fine to me." _More than fine._

Penelope raised an eyebrow, doubtful. "I didn't know you'd lost your eyesight between now and the last time I'd seen you."

Morgan chuckled and drew her closer, resting his head atop hers. "Trust me, baby girl. My eyesight is fine. Besides," he added, gently pulling her away from his body to look down at her mischievously. "I've been waiting for this date for hours. Now that I have you all to myself, I'm not about to let you go again."

Ignoring her pleas and protests, he swiftly grabbed her bag and keys for her and locked the door with a flourish, handing the items back to her with a grin. Penelope couldn't help but laugh at the expression on his face, and Derek took the opportunity to drape an arm around her shoulders. Her face lit up, and together they descended the stairs from her apartment into the night.

* * *

"You're not even going to try it?"

Derek scrunched up his face and shook his head. "Nu-uh. It looks disgusting."

Penelope nodded her head thoughtfully. "You may be right, handsome," she said, popping the sushi roll into her mouth and chewing enthusiastically. "But it tastes great."

Morgan grinned at her and turned his attention back to trying to manoeuvre the complicated chopsticks in his hand. The two were sitting at a small Chinese restaurant not far from the theatre they had just seen a movie in. Penelope had convinced him to come and try their food, claiming it was 'a fiesta in your mouth' and he found he had to oblige at the look of pure delight that appeared on her face.

After fumbling with the thin wooden sticks for a while longer, he gave up, looking longingly at the fried noodles sitting untouched on his plate. Garcia noticed his look of frustration and set down her own chopsticks, turning her focus to him. "Something wrong, sweetness?"

Morgan glared at the chopsticks as if they were two unsubs that had eluded him time and time again. "I just can't figure out how to handle these things. Who's bright idea was it to use pointed wooden sticks as eating utensils, anyway?"

Garcia laughed. "I don't know, but glaring at them won't help."

"Maybe, but it'll make me feel better."

She smiled, and reached over, picking up the sticks and placing them in his hands. Concentrating, she carefully laced his fingers through them so that he couldn't move them the way he had been doing throughout dinner. Satisfied, she sat back in her chair with a pleased grin.

While she was doing this, Morgan watched her, noting the way her tongue stuck out of the corner of her mouth when she concentrated, how soft her hands were, the way she used her fingers so quickly and efficiently so that he barely felt anything. He loved the way she could focus on one task, regardless of how small or insignificant, and fix it so that anything or anyone could be as comfortable as possible.

"Penny for your thoughts?"

She looked intently at him, smile in place, and he wondered how he had gotten this lucky. "Just thinking about how wonderful you are."

Garcia's face went ablaze and she ducked her head to shield her embarrassment at being complimented, red curls falling round her face. Playful banter she could take, but when it came to serious compliments she was always tongue-tied and uneasy.

Morgan lifted her chin to look into her eyes, tucking a stray curl behind her ear. "Don't be embarrassed, Pen. You are wonderful. Don't ever let anyone tell you otherwise, alright?"

She nodded in playful agreement and was about to reply when an odd look suddenly crept onto Derek's face. It seemed to be one of…_panic? What is he so scared of?_

"Derek? Is that you?"

**A/N: Sorry for the late update and short chapter but typing is becoming way too tedious lately and I'm beginning to prefer the way my pen feels on paper. The next chapter and this one were originally planned to be one large one, but as I said, tedious. There's a dedicated writer for you, huh? Thanks for the reviews, love, and don't hesitate to drop some more!**


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